4.60.01 Basic Licensing Fee Structure

Policy

Fees for all motor vehicle registration services are charged in accordance with the Registry Agent Product Catalogue (pdf).

The registration fee period for a vehicle first application or renewal service is determined by the client’s last name or company name and the class of plate required. See 4.60.02 Expiry Month and Registration Term Calculation.

The registration fee may vary depending on whether the client has an attribute or the vehicle registration has a regulation code. For more information, see:

Services provided at no charge (no government fee or registry agent service fee) are detailed in the appropriate sub-section within Vehicle Service Transactions – Section 4.55.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Tax

Registered owners of electric vehicles must pay an EV tax prior to a registration certificate being issued for an electric vehicle. The tax applies to any vehicle with a fuel type of ‘e’ (electric) and that is registered as a:

  • Passenger vehicle. This includes cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUV’s).
  • Antique vehicle.
  • Commercial vehicle, including:
    • All Class 1 plates.
    • All Class 2 plates.
  • Class 3 plates: Vehicles owned by businesses to transport their own goods.
  • Interjurisdictional commercial carriers based in Alberta (Prorate International Registration Plan (IRP)).
  • Government vehicles, including vehicles registered by provincial and municipal governments, as well as school boards (e.g., school buses, transit buses, and consular vehicles). 

The EV Tax for vehicles that have periodic registration is prorated in alignment with vehicle registration term calculations and is charged upon the application of registration for the vehicle, including renewals; see 4.60.02 Expiry Month and Registration Term Calculations. The tax amount being prorated means the EV Tax will be charged for the appropriate amount based on the registration term. For permanent registrations, the EV Tax is a one-time fee for the lifetime of the registration; see QR 4.21 Registration Fee Chart (pdf).

The following vehicle types are excluded from the EV tax:

  • Hybrids.
  • Motorcycles (including mopeds) and off-highway vehicles (e.g., all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles).
  • Prorate IRP commercial carriers with a base jurisdiction outside of Alberta.
  • Dealer plates, as they are not bound to a specific vehicle.
  • Trailers.

Certain registered owners of electric vehicles may be exempt from paying an EV Tax. All registered owners of an electric vehicle must pay the tax at the time of registration, even if they qualify for an exemption. Anyone eligible for an exemption may submit a claim directly to Treasury Board and Finance to receive a rebate in the amount of the tax which was paid. For more information, a client may visit www.alberta.ca.
 


Date Originally Issued: Nov 14, 1989
Date Last Revised: Feb 13, 2025